ISL 2017: Delhi Dynamos' assistant manager furious with referee after 5-1 loss to FC Goa

The Delhi Dynamos were up against the high-flying FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Saturday and were put to the sword 5-1 as the away side notched up five goals in two frantic spells, leaving the Dynamos completely stunned. For the third ISL 2017 game running, a red card was dished out by the referee and not surprisingly, the team playing with 10 men ended up on the losing side.

Gabriel Cichero was sent off in the 65th minute for a second bookable offence, much to the disgust of the Delhi manager Miguel Angel Portugal. The 62-year-old was furious with the referee after the red card and after a stretched argument with the referee and fourth official, he too was given his marching orders.

The manager was seriously upset with some of the decisions of the officials and did not even address the media in the post-match press conference. In his place came assistant coach of the Dynamos, Shakti Chauhan and he was quick to slam the referee's performance and the impact it had on the result.

"You all have seen the game," he said. "It was not a fair game at all. There were many refereeing decisions that went against us."

Talking about the red card he said, "There is no way that should have been a sending off. Both yellow cards should not have been given and there is no chance you can win if your centre-back is sent off at the crucial hour-mark."

The sending off did turn out to be the turning point of the match and came exactly when the home side were looking to make their way back into the match. After conceding two goals late in the first half, the Dynamos were on the up as Kalu Uche halved the deficit in the 62nd minute and his side were all charged up to get the equalizer next.

However, just three minutes later, Cichero picked up his second yellow card of the match and that too under questionable circumstances. The 10 men of Delhi were completely deflated from there on as Sukhadev Patil, the Delhi keeper for the game, fished out the ball from his net three more times later in the match.

The youngster, who came in to replace the injured Albino Gomes, was at fault for Goa's first goal and his positioning for the second one was questionable too. However, Chauhan was quick to come to the defence of the 19-year-old.

"He is just 19 and is playing his first ISL game. He was our third choice keeper for the tournament and was picked as a prospect for the future. We also have to consider the fact that three of the goals came when the team were down to 10 men," said Chauhan.

Delhi have now lost four games on the trot and will be up against defending champions ATK on December 23 in their next game.